Jury finds failed Gold Coast mayoral candidate Penny Toland guilty of perjury

Failed Gold Coast mayoral candidate Penny Toland clutched a wad of tissues and wiped away tears as she was sentenced for perjury today.

Former Gold Coast mayoral candidate Penny Toland leaves the District Court in Brisbane on Monday. Picture: AAP

FAILED Gold Coast mayoral candidate Penny Toland has narrowly missed spending time behind bars.

Toland, who was found guilty earlier today of one count of perjury, was sentenced to 18 months prison to be immediately suspended for an operational period of two years.

Judge Brian Devereaux said he found Toland’s actions to be the lower end of perjury.

“It did not cause a miscarriage of justice but had the potential to subvert the hearings,” he said.

Toland was slightly tearful throughout the sentencing proceedings, clutching a wad of tissues in her hand as Judge Devereaux gave his decision.

She began to cry when speaking to her parents immediately after the proceedings.

A jury had earlier found Toland guilty of committing perjury during a Crime and Corruption hearing. It took the jury of ten women and two men three hours to reach their decision.

Penny Toland outside court this week. Picture: AAP

During two days of evidence the jury was told Toland had made misleading statement during the June 2017 hearing relating to the 2016 council elections.

Toland misled the CCC hearing about what she knew about the bus advertisements, which were paid for by union giant the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.

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The court was told she knew the CFMEU paid for the advertisements when she made disclosure returns to the Electoral Commission of Queensland.

Toland claims she did not know about the bus advertisements until after they were up.

She claims the CFMEU placed the advertisements up as part of a “parallel campaign”.

She had pleaded not guilty in the Brisbane District Court to a single count of perjury.

Toland shook her head slightly as the verdict was handed down.

At one point Toland had to be asked a second time to stand during the proceedings, appearing stunned.